Collected good answers from real exams (version 1.4). All of these are verbatim from
exams, with occassional red additions or corrections from me. In almost all cases there
were additional correct things that could have been said, but we gave full credit for
getting the basics completely right plus a combination of more secondary correct things.
There were very few version 1.4 exams, so these are not all full credit answers. But they
are all quite good.
Slides:
1) This is Snefru’s benty pryamid in Dahshur. The pyramid was built during the 4th
Dynasty on weak bedrock, hence they had to reduce the steep angle of the pyramid to
prevent collapse. This was his 2nd pryamid, and indicates a change from the classic step
pyramids seen during the 3rd Dynasty. The pyrramid serves as a tomb and mortuary
temple and contains the body of the king. They pyramid often has a mortuary temple
connected to a valley temple and essentially an entire complex.
2) Tomb of Ti
5th Dynasty
Saqqara
Stone
Daily life scene found in the private tomb of Ti
These scenes are a testament to the rebirth of daily life in the afterlife
Scale shows importance – biggest person is tomb owner
Not an accurate depiction of daily life, but rather what is needed to benefit the tomb
owner in the afterlife
Women is subordinate
3) This is a Naqada I pot. Petrie came up with a way to classify pottery through seriation.
Naqada I was part of Upper Egypt and this is from around 3500 BC. The seriation model
allowed for pots to be dated this was important because they cahnged frequently. The
Neolithic period saw a move toward agriculture and animal husbandry, which became a
bsis for predynastic. Important sites were Hierakonpolis where tomb 100 was found –
the first large decorated tomb. The Naqada periods showed a change in complexity of
burials, moving from simple to more complex, showing that higher culture was
developing. (And social complexity and hierarchy, but you’ve got so much else write in
here that this would be a quibble.)
4) Burial chamber of king Unis Menere (right the first time!) of the 6th Dynasty located at
Saqqara. This chamber is unique because it is decorated with pyramid texts, hierglyphics
that describe the rituals and events that connect the deceased king to his afterlife with the
gods. Further dsicusses priests roles in taking care of the deceased king. Gives us insight
to daily funtions of a pyramid. 5 point answer
5) Rosetta Stone
Found by Napoleon excavations of 1978 (1798 was the start of the expedition – I’ll
assume that’s a human typo)
Napoleon went there for this time for poltical to scholastic reasons
Ended up having to hand it over to the British
Important b/c it has hieroglyphs, demotic and Greek
Helpful in deciphering hieroglyphics
Hieroglyphic deciphered by Champillon (Champollion) who realized they were one half
phonetic and one half pictoral
You got credit on the date of this one if you gave either the date of origin (Ptolemaic) or
the date of discovery.
6) This is a second dynasty image of a scene of daily life (more properly a simple funeral
banquet) located in a mastaba of an elite member of society, an adminstrator in the royal
family. The scene depicts various foods and drinks which were to be offered to the
deceased so they can reach the afterlife and serve the king. The scenes were located in
the two chapel sections of the mastaba when the offerings were to be given. One for the
male and a smaller for the wife.
7) Narmer’s Palette from the 1st Dynasty, found in Hierakonpolis deposits. Narmer
claimed to be the conquerer of Upper and Lower Egypt. Both sides showed the motives
of conquering and smitign. On the one side, Narmer was smiting a lower Egyptian. The
Horus, symbolic of kingship, is punishing an Egyptian with marshes on it. The sandal
bearer, the high official, was shwon at a much smaller scale. The other side show
8) This is a statue most likely from a private tomb showign a man, his wife ,and a child.
This is most likely from the 5th or 6th Dynasty. The man is in the classic seated pose,
faciing the front, with his wife standing to the right. The child can be identified by the
hair braid on the left. This is an example of classic Egyptian statues because of the pose
of the man without the headdress of royalty. (function?)
9) This is a statue of the 4t hDynasty king Khafre being embraced behind his head by
Horus. This staute was in his valley temple at Giza. He is wearing the typcial headdress
of a king and the statue is meant to be a place where priests and others can make
offerings to him.
10) This is a relief found at the 5th century (Dynasty but I’ve got you) pyramid of Sahure
at Abusir. The temple itself seems to be quite a few steps down in scale and architecture
from its predecessors at Giza, however, the reilefs are exquisite. This relief shows
prisoners bonded together. In the relief each prisoner is different.
Short answers:
Abusir Papyri
The Abusir Papyri were found in the mortuary temple of neferirkare (5th Dynasty at
Abusir) because Niuserre userped his valley temple and causeway for his own temple.
The papyri survived because they were away from the humidity of the Nile. The papyri
show what happened in the valley temple. They show rotation of priests, hierarchy of
priests, the requisitions of the priests, the sculptures in the temple and they describe the
oepning of the mouth ceremony performed before offering food to the kings.
Meidum
Medium was the site at which the first “true” pyramid was built by Snefru in the fourth
dynasty. This site marks the beginning of the “pyramid complex” format with a
connection between the main pryamid (where the deceased would be buried), the
agricultural offering that would be brought to them for eternity (in the valley temple and
causeway leading there), and the solar cycle (with the east-west orientation of the
pyramid and mortuary temple on the East Side). Medum marks the beginning of the
explicit unifciation of the king’s spirit, the gods, the sun, and those who served him. (7.5
point answer – just need to mention mastabas around pyramid specifically)
False Door
This was located at the east and comprised of a cornice and façade. The person standing
in front of it would be facing west. It was used in mastabas and the statues of the
deceased would be placed behind it in order to freceive offerings. The ka would inhabit
the statues. These are widely present and decoraded with hierglyphs. (dates? Why do we
call it a false door?)
Nabta Playa
Settlement form Sahara Neolithic
No agriculture, but had somewhat sedentary population
Huts arranged in regular pattern
Stone circles found nearby w/ cattle burials inside some circles – evidence of ceremony
to ritual
Had cattle and ceramics
One of the Predynastic (not a word we actually use until the later Neolithic Nile Valley
cultures) populations that later began to develop into what becomes the Old Kingdom of
Egypt
Pyramid Town
These refer to towns where people lived and maintained the temples of pyramid
complexes (like how people donated to Menkaure for c 300 years) as well as to towns
constructed during the construction of the pyramids. Workers lived nearby, except
seasonal farmers who only came during flood season, and towns held barracks for short
term workers, galleries, bakeries, grain silos, and even cemeteries. Grain was like $$, the
bakeries were industrial bakeries for a work force and also had beer. Many women under
30 buried here, childbirth still more dangerous than pyramid building.
Nile:
Herodotus, considered the father of Egyptian history, said “Egypt is the gift of the Nile.”
Only approx 5% of Egypt is habitable and that includes the areas closest to the Nile. The
Nile is what brings fertility to land, most of which consists of arid desert. There are two
Niles: the Blue Nile and the White Nile as well as the Abuari (Atbara) which is the
tributary river, connecting to the two Niles after they have already joined. The Blue Nile
is significant for the mineraly rich silt it brings to Egypt. When the Nile floods, the silt is
converted into fertile mud, which historically the Egyptians use for building. The Nile
also divides Egypt, consisting in the Nile Valley or Upper Egypt (which is south) and the
Nile Delta or Lower Egypt (which is north). Sandstone is found in the south and
limestone in the north.